The present invention relates generally to an exposure method and apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure method and apparatus used to expose various objects such as a single crystal substrate for a semiconductor wafer, a glass plate for a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), and the like. The present invention is suitable, for example, an exposure method and apparatus that utilizes a step and scan manner for exposure.
Conventionally used projection exposure apparatuses use a projection optical system to project a circuit pattern on a mask (or a reticle) onto a wafer, etc. in manufacturing such devices as a semiconductor device, a LCD device and a thin-film magnetic head in the photolithography technology.
The trend of the fine and high-density integrated circuits requires the projection exposure apparatus to expose a circuit pattern on the reticle onto a wafer with high resolving power. The minimum critical dimension transferable by the projection exposure apparatus (resolution) is proportionate to a wavelength of exposure light, and inversely proportionate to the numerical aperture (“NA”) of the projection optical system. The shorter the wavelength is, the better the resolution is. Accordingly, the light source in recent years has been in transition from an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp (g-line with a wavelength of approximately 436 nm) and i-line with a wavelength of approximately 365 nm) to KrF excimer laser (with a wavelength of approximately 248 nm) and ArF excimer laser (with a wavelength of approximately 193 nm). Practical use of F2 excimer laser (with a wavelength of 157 nm) has been promoted. A wider exposure area is also required.
A step-and-repeat exposure apparatus (also referred to as a “stepper”) for entirely projecting and exposing an approximately square exposure area onto a wafer with a reduced exposure area is being replaced mainly with a step-and-scan exposure apparatus (also referred to as a “scanner”) for accurately exposing a wide screen of exposure area through a rectangular slit with relatively and quickly scanning the reticle and the wafer.
In exposure, the scanner uses a surface-position detector having an oblique light irradiating system to measure a surface height at a certain position on the wafer before the exposure slit area moves to the certain position on the wafer, and accords the wafer surface with an optimal exposure image-surface position when exposing the certain position, thereby minimizing the influence of the flatness of the wafer.
In particular, there are plural measurement points in longitudinal direction of the exposure slit, i.e., a direction orthogonal to the scan direction, at front and back portions of the exposure slit area to measure an inclination or tilt of the surface as well as a height or focus of the wafer surface position. In general, the scanning exposure proceeds in both directions from the front portion and from the back portion (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-45609 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,294).
Japanese Patent Application, Publication No. 6-260391 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,332) proposes a method for measuring and correcting a surface position on a wafer in a scanner. This method arranges plural measurement points on a pre-scan area other than the exposure area to measure the focus and tilt in scan and non-scan directions. Japanese Patent Application, Publication No. 6-283403 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,332) proposes another method for measuring, driving and correcting the focus and tilt in the scan and non-scan directions by arranging plural measurement points in the exposure area.
A description will be given of these proposals with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. Here, FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view of focus and tilt measurement points FP1 to FP3 on the wafer 1000. FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view showing the wafer 1000 that has been driven to an optimal exposure image-surface position based on the measurement results. Referring to FIG. 12, the focus and tilt are sequentially measured at the measurement points FP1 to FP3 on the wafer 1000. A pre-scan plane PMP is calculated based on the measurement results from the measurement points FP1 to FP3, and the orientation of the wafer is driven and adjusted to the best focus plane BFP in moving the wafer 1000 to the exposure are an exposure slit 2000, as shown in FIG. 13.
However, the recent increasingly shortened wavelength of the exposure light and the high NA of the projection optical system require an extremely small depth of focus (“DOF”) and a strict accuracy with which the wafer surface to be exposed is aligned to the best focus position BFP or so-called focus accuracy.
In particular, they require strict measurement and precise correction of the tilt of the wafer surface in the scan direction or width direction of the exposure slit. A wafer having the bad flatness has disadvantageous focus detection accuracy of the exposure area. For example, when the exposure apparatus has a DOF with 0.4 μm, the flatness of the wafer requires several nanometer order, for example, the flatness of the wafer needs 0.08 μm where it is one-fifth as long as the DOF, or 0.04 μm where it is one-tenth as long as the DOF. While a surface-position detector of the oblique light irradiating system measures the wafer's surface position before the area reaches the exposure slit, the measurement timing is discrete and no information is available or considered about the wafer's flatness between two timings. As a result, there is no information available between timings of the flatness of the wafer.
For example, suppose that this measurement timing is an interval of 3 mm on the wafer 1000 in the scan direction as shown in FIG. 14. Then, when the wafer 1000 has the bad flatness between an interval of 3 mm, for example, between points P1 to P3 in FIG. 14, the surface position offsets by Δ from the pre-scan plane PMP calculated by the measurement at the interval of 3 mm. Here, FIG. 14 is a schematic sectional view showing an offset of flatness between the pre-scan plane PMP and the wafer 1000.
In exposure, the pre-scan plane PMP is adjusted to the best focus plane BFP, and the exposure in FIG. 14 needs a shift by the amount of Δ. This defocus occurs in a direction orthogonal to the scan direction as well as the scan direction. This is due to an arrangement of measurement points of the above oblique light irradiating system, rather than the measurement timing.
The finer measurement timing in the scan direction and the increased number of measurement points in the oblique light irradiating system would reduce an offset error, but might disadvantageously lower the throughput due to the deteriorated scan speed in exposure time, increase measurement time and cost together with the complicated apparatus structure, and grows likelihood of troubles.